


Come Home With Me

by YouthIsWasted



Series: Hadestown Fics [2]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Abandonment, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23385862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouthIsWasted/pseuds/YouthIsWasted
Summary: Eurydice loses another baby. Is this a cruel twist of fate, or a cosmic opportunity?Modern AU
Relationships: Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown)
Series: Hadestown Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787488
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Come Home With Me

Orpheus was on his way back to the bar with takeout and coffee. It was finally starting to warm up enough that he only had to wear a light jacket, so he had offered to go and get fries from Euridyce’s favorite restaurant before the evening rush, hoping the fresh air would clear his head and that her favorite food would cheer her up a bit. As he approached the back door, he noticed a small bundle by the door. He looked around to see if there was anyone it could belong to, but he didn’t see anyone, which made him nervous. He carefully made his way inside and told Hermes that there was an unattended bundle outside. He went and brought the food upstairs, where Eurydice was curled up on the couch with a heating pad. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before putting the food down on the counter.

“Thanks, babe,” she mumbled, clearly having just woken up, eyes still puffy from crying. 

“Of course. You feeling any better?” he asked, concern evident in his voice as he sat down next to her.

“Mhm. Not hurting quite as much. The heat helped.”

“I still think you should take the night off. You need to rest. I can tell you’re still hurting.”

“I’ll be fine,” she winced as she stood up to grab her food.

“No, you won’t. I’m telling Mr. Hermes we need the night off. He’ll understand. Try to eat something so you can take some Motrin.”

Orpheus excused himself, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. So much had happened over the past few hours, and it was finally catching up to him. He made his way to the bathroom and finally let his tears flow for the first time since getting the news, grieving the life he had started to plan for. His tears came faster as he thought of his wife, laying in the other room, in the worst pain of her life and feeling like her body had failed her. He let himself sit with his feelings until he had no more tears left to cry, and then splashed some water on his face and made his way down to talk to Hermes. 

“Mr. Hermes, can I talk to you for a minute?” Orpheus asked once he had found him.

“I only have a few minutes, but sure. What’s up?”

“Umm. It’s Euridyce. She needs the night off. Umm, I do too.”

Hermes looked up at him for the first time and saw his puffy red eyes and instantly dropped what he was doing, knowing something was really wrong. Eurydice never took a night off.

“What’s wrong? Is Eurydice okay? Is the baby okay?” he asked, whispering the last question so no one else would hear. 

“Eurydice will be okay…” he sniffled, his eyes welling up with tears again.

“Oh, Orpheus. I’m so sorry,” he said, wrapping him in a hug. “You both can have the night off. You need each other right now. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“Thanks, Mr. Hermes,” he sniffed, grabbing the tissues he handed him and wiping his eyes.

“Orpheus. There’s something I need to show you.”

Orpheus followed Hermes to the back room. He saw one of the bartenders holding the bundle he had seen on his way in earlier and was confused. He walked in to see what was going on and suddenly heard the sound of an infant crying. It was then that he realized what the bundle was. Someone had left a baby outside the bar. As he got closer, he noticed a note on the table. He quickly scanned over it, reading that the baby was left there purposely because his mother wasn’t able to take care of him. His name was Liam, and he was two months old. Hermes gestured for him to step aside so he could talk with him, and he obeyed. 

“I have an idea, and I know it sounds crazy, but just hear me out,” he started.

“Okay…”

“I think you and Eurydice should take him home. I know how upset you both are about your baby, so maybe this is fate. Even if it’s just temporary, it might help ease the pain a little.”

“I don’t know. She’s so upset right now. Having a baby around might just make it worse.”

“Why don’t you bring Liam to her and see what she thinks. I just hate to see the little guy go into the system, and if anyone here is capable of raising him, it's the two of you. And you’re licensed to foster already.”

“Alright. I’ll talk with her. But I’m not making any promises.”

Orpheus walked back over to the group and scooped baby Liam up, resting him against his chest and swaying slightly until he settled down. He tried to ignore the stares from the regulars as he adjusted to the feeling of the small infant. He was small for his age, Orpheus would have thought he wasn’t more than a few weeks old if it wasn’t for the note. Once he was comfortable holding the infant, he began the slow walk upstairs, bracing himself for his wife’s reaction. 

“‘Rydice?” he called as he walked in the door.

“On the couch,” she called, her voice timid.

“Umm, I have someone here for you to meet,” he said awkwardly as he made his way over to the couch. “This is Liam.”

“‘Phe? Where did you get this baby?”

“Well, he was abandoned outside the bar. He needs a place to stay, and I thought maybe we could keep him for a few days…” his voice trailed off as he tried to gauge Eurydice’s reaction.

“Are you serious?”

“I mean, we got our foster license when things didn’t work out last time. He needs to go somewhere. And I thought maybe it would give us something happier to focus on.”

Orpheus was starting to ramble on when he was interrupted by a soft whine from Liam. He quickly stood up and started swaying with the infant as if it was something he had been doing his whole life. Eurydice couldn’t help but feel her heart soften at the sight of her husband cooing at the small child in his arms. She carefully stood up to join him, getting a good glimpse at the child for the first time. He was small, about the size of a newborn, and wearing a white cotton onesie. He was still bundled up in the thin black blanket they had found him in, and Eurydice was instantly concerned about how cold he must be. She grabbed the blanket off of the couch and draped it across her chest, nodding to Reeve to pass Liam to her. She wrapped him up in the new quilt and gently rubbed her thumb across his cheek. He looked up at her with his big, blue eyes, seemingly trying to figure out who this new woman was. She pulled him up, so he was lying on her chest and ran her fingers through his fine blonde hair. She was instantly in love. Orpheus quietly sat down next to her and rubbed his hand along her back, content in the silence for the first time that day. A new sense of peace filled the room as Eurydice quietly rocked Liam to sleep again. Once she knew he was asleep, she turned to her husband.

“Can we really bring him home?” she whispered, not wanting to wake the baby.

“Mr. Hermes called family services. They’re sending a social worker over to get everything cleared. But we should be okay,” he smiled. 

“Is this really happening?” she asked. “Two hours ago, I thought we’d never have the chance to have a baby.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This might only be temporary. But we’ll do whatever we can to give him as much love as we possibly can for as long as he’s with us.”

Three hours later, Orpheus and Eurydice were on their way to Target with Liam in tow. The social worker had granted them emergency custody and would get back to them later in the week about the possibility of a foster to adopt placement once they contacted the birth mother. One of the bartenders promised to come by the next day with some baby items she had in her basement that she didn’t need, like a stroller and crib, but in the meantime, the couple decided it would be best to pick up the essentials. 

Eurydice was walking through the aisles of baby products trying to find everything on the list they had made. She had found the formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, and a few baby blankets. Now she just needed to find the baby soap, bath, washcloths, and towels. She had sent Orpheus to find onesies and a few pairs of pajamas, knowing he would enjoy that. 

Once she had found everything on the list, Eurydice started to look for her husband. She spotted him looking at a pair of baby suspenders. Glancing at the basket in his hands, she noticed that it was overflowing with baby outfits.

“Hey, babe. What happened to ‘a few pairs of pajamas and some onesies’?” she laughed as she approached him.

“Have you seen how cute this stuff is? Look at this! He can get a tiny t-shirt and suspenders, and we can match!”

“Okay, I have to admit, that is really cute. But we shouldn’t get a ton before we know if this is going to be a long term thing. Let’s get that outfit and then just some pajamas and onesies. He’s little, that’s all he really needs, and Misty said she’ll bring us clothes tomorrow too.”

“I guess you’re right. I just got excited about how cute everything is. Hopefully we’ll get good news soon, and we can come back and pick out some more.”

“I hope so too.”

Later that night, Orpheus and Eurydice were watching tv in their bed. Eurydice was holding Liam and trying to get him to drink his bottle, but he wouldn’t stop crying long enough to take a sip. At this point, she was exhausted and still in pain from everything she had gone through earlier in the day, so when Orpheus offered to take a turn trying, she happily handed him over. He decided to try walking around the tiny apartment with him, hoping that the movement might calm him down enough for him to take the bottle. After fifteen minutes, he was still wailing, so Orpheus decided it was time for another approach. He made his way over to a small corner of the apartment where Eurydice kept her plants. He had always thought it was one of the coziest areas, and she had added a rocking chair when she found out she was pregnant. He sat down and began to rock, holding Liam so his head was lying against his heart. As he rocked, he started to sing quietly, a song that Persephone used to sing to him when he was small. Liam quickly calmed down at the sound of his voice, his little hands gripping onto his shirt. Orpheus gently adjusted him so he could drink the bottle, continuing to sing the whole time.

From the bedroom, Eurydice noticed that the apartment had gotten much quieter. She crept out to see if Liam had finally settled. When she reached the living room, she found Orpheus in the rocker, Liam fast asleep against his chest. Orpheus was still quietly singing while rubbing patterns across the infant’s back. Eurydice tiptoed over and pulled out her phone to take a few pictures. Once Orpheus noticed her, he carefully stood up and carried Liam back towards their room and placed him into the travel crib they bought at Target. Once they were sure he was asleep, they made their way out to the living room and collapsed onto the couch, Eurydice resting her head in her husband’s lap and allowing him to play with her hair. 

“We should call Persephone,” Eurydice sighed. “So much happened today, and she doesn’t know any of it.”

“How are you holding up? I know today was really hard,” he asked, letting her sit up so they could see each other.

For the first time all night, her tears began to flow again. Orpheus pulled her close and held her while she cried, whispering to her that it was okay for her to let it all out. Before he knew it, he felt his own tears begin to slip. The two stayed in their embrace, attempting to find any semblance of comfort in the darkness for what felt like an eternity. 

After about an hour, Eurydice pulled away and started to wipe away her tears. Orpheus followed suit and waited to see what she needed from him.

“Can we call Seph? I just need a mom right now.”

“Of course, my love. Call or Facetime?” 

“Umm, Facetime?”

“Okay. I’ll call her now.”

Persephone picked up right away, confused as to why Orpheus would be calling in the middle of his shit at the bar. She could tell from the look on his face that something was wrong.

“Hi, Seph,” he greeted sheepishly.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is Eurydice okay?” she asked.

“I, uh, I lost the baby,” Eurydice muttered, snuggling closer to her husband so she could see the screen.

“Oh, honey. I’m so so sorry. I know how upset you both must be. How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It’s getting a little better. ‘Phe is taking good care of me. We both took the night off.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. Are you taking anything for the pain? Eating enough?”

“The doctor told me to take Motrin last time, so I’m doing that again. Orpheus got me some fries earlier, and I’ve been picking at a salad. I just don’t have much of an appet…”

Eurydice was interrupted by the sound of Liam crying from the bedroom. Persephone gave a confused look, and Orpheus gestured that he would explain in a minute as Eurydice stood up to go check on the baby. As soon as she was out of earshot, Persephone launched into her questions.

“Was that a baby?” she asked, clearly baffled by what she had just witnessed.

“We, uh, had something else to tell you before we were interrupted,” Orpheus chuckled, running his hand through his hair. “We, uh, have a special visitor staying with us right now. Someone left a baby outside the bar this morning, and we offered to bring him home since we’re licensed to foster still. We should find out more tomorrow, but he’s here and safe for now.”

Just then, Eurydice walked back out to the living room, Liam bundled up in her arms and another bottle to prepare. Orpheus nodded to her, and she joined him on the couch again. He gently kissed her forehead before bending down to do the same to Liam, who wrapped his tiny hand around his finger.

“Hey there, little dude. Were you feeling left out of all the fun?” he chuckled, letting Eurydice pass the infant to him so she could go make his bottle.

“Someone woke up hungry,” she called back as she walked towards the kitchen to mix the formula. 

Persephone watched the couple interact and couldn’t help but tear up a bit as she watched the boy she helped raise gently rock the infant cradled to his chest. She was reminded of all the hours she spent rocking him when he was a colicky newborn. 

“What’s his name?” she asked, breaking Orpheus from his trance.

“Persephone, meet Liam. Liam, meet Grandma,” he said, turning Liam towards the screen even though he knew that he was too little to understand.

“Grandma?” 

“Well, we’re hoping this is going to be a permanent arrangement. So Grandma. Unless there’s a different name you want,” Orpheus rambled.

“Grandma is perfect. And Grandma already loves you so much, Liam. I can’t wait to meet you,” she cooed to the infant.

Eurydice came back in with the bottle, and Orpheus carefully passed Liam to her. She quickly got him settled, and he happily took his bottle, snuggling into her chest. A sense of calm washed over her for the first time that day as she held him, breathing in the sweet smell of his baby shampoo. 

“You guys are naturals already. Look how comfortable he is with you already.”

“We’ve only known him for a few hours, but it feels like he’s a part of me,” Eurydice muttered, watching Liam drain his bottle. “I just want to hold him forever.”

“I know the feeling,” Persephone replied. “I felt the same way when I first met Orpheus. That’s your maternal instinct kicking in.”

“I just have so much love for him. I don’t know what I’ll do if they take him away.”

“I’ll be praying for you to get good news. I can see how important this is to you.”

The room grew quiet as Eurydice rocked Liam back to sleep, and Orpheus watched on in adoration as he fell asleep on her chest. Before long, his breathing evened out and his quiet snores could be heard. Eurydice was totally at peace having the small infant asleep on her chest, so she opted to let him keep sleeping there instead of bringing him back to the crib. Orpheus stood up and walked to the bedroom to finish talking to Persephone, not wanting to wake the baby.

After a while, he quietly made his way back to the couch. He kissed Eurydice’s head again and looked down to see Liam still asleep on her chest. It was a moment he never wanted to forget, so he pulled out his phone and took a few pictures before sitting down on the couch, letting Eurydice lay against his chest. 

“Persephone will be here tomorrow,” he said quietly.

“She will?”

“She figured we might need some extra help. And she remembered that you were in a lot more pain on day two last time, so she thought you might need someone to help you through that too.”

“How does she always know exactly what we need?”

“She’s always been like that. It’s like a superpower or something.”

“What time is she getting here?”

“Her train gets in around seven.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For taking care of me today. For bringing Liam home. For being you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, princess. It’s getting late. We should try to get some sleep before little man wakes up again. You should try to sleep through and let me get up with him. You need your sleep.”

“Okay,” she yawned, carefully getting up and carrying Liam into the bedroom, Orpheus following closely behind.

The next morning, Eurydice woke up early in horrible pain. She felt the tears start to roll down her cheeks before she even knew what was happening. Orpheus was already awake in bed next to her, playing with Liam, who had already been awake for a few hours. As soon as he heard his wife crying, he started trying to comfort her and figure out what was upsetting her.

“It *sniff* hurts so *sniff* bad!” she cried, trying to curl herself into a ball to make the pain stop. 

“I know, baby. What can I do to help make it a little better?” he asked, adjusting his hold on Liam so he could rub her back.

“Can you go run a really hot bath? It might help the cramps.”

“Of course, love. Let me just put Liam back in his crib.”

“Can I hold him?”

“Whatever you want,” he said, carefully passing the baby to her, smiling as she started tickling his tiny feet.

Ten minutes later, Orpheus came back to help her to the bathroom. He tried to put Liam back in his crib, but Eurydice stopped him.

“Can I hold him in the bath?”

“Are you sure? I thought we would just give you some time to relax.”

“I just need him right now. Plus I read that skin to skin contact is really good for babies and who knows if he’s ever gotten any.”

“Okay, my love. Why don’t you get settled in the tub and I’ll bring him in when you’re ready.”

“Umm… I think I need help walking to the bathroom. The pain is horrible right now.”

“Of course. Let me put Liam down and I’ll get him after I get you settled.”

“Thank you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, princess.”

Later that evening, Orpheus and Eurydice were curled up on the couch while Liam napped. Eurydice was still in quite a bit of pain, but between the Motrin and heating pad, it was more manageable than it had been when she woke up. They had just started watching a movie when the phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID revealed that it was the social worker assigned to Liam’s case. Orpheus answered right away and put her on speaker.

The woman explained that they had tracked down Liam’s birth mother, and she had willingly signed away her parental rights. After pulling his birth certificate, they discovered that there was no father listed, which meant they could now file a petition to adopt him. She told them that she would send them more information on the process in an email so they could look it over at their own pace and scheduled another phone call for later in the week to go over any questions they might have. They thanked her before hanging up, both letting out a breath they didn’t realize they had been holding.

“Are we really going to get to keep him?” Eurydice asked.

“I hope so. But this is a good step in that direction. How do you feel about all this?”

“I just want it to be official.”

“I know, love. Me too. How about we go lay down and start looking over the information she sent us. That way, we have a better idea of the plan before Persephone gets here in a few hours and wants all the information.”

“Thank you. I fully believe that this happened for a reason and that he’s meant to be with us. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him with us.”

“Me too. I can’t help but think of him as a son already. I love our little family so much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @bloomsinthebittersnow


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